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2014-01-18

Roots series ... "sharing" along ...

If you are a follower for a while - about a year at least - you might be familiar with this photos (Here and here). I am sharing them again, because Heidi at Elegance & Elephants is hosting the Roots series, and I thought it would be fun to sew along. Unfortunatly I've come to realise I won't be able to make another flamenco dress in time (before the series are finished), and since we can participate with something we have done before, I am making this entry, just for the fun of taking part of it. If you're new then, I hope you enjoy seeing the flamenco outfits I made for my daughter and nephew.

The Roots series are based on sewing according to our heritage. As some of you already know, I am portuguese by birth, my mother is portuguese and my father is spanish. I've always lived between here and there but although I've spent most of my life in Portugal, I've always lived the spanish traditions much more than the portuguese. One of these are the Romerias from the south of the country (where we are from), and as I mentioned in the previous posts, I've dressed in flamenco dresses when I was a kid. I believe my first one fits my niece this year and I believe she'll wear it, which is great.

Back in 2012, when my daughter was only 11 months old, her first Romeria it is, I made a knock-off dress from the one my niece was going to wear. I bought similar fabric and tried to make it as much as the other one. The next year, both girls were too big for their dresses. I had taken a ruffle from niece's in 2012 because it was too long, and in 2013 I had to sew it back in place. I still had fabric left from my daughter's so I also added an extra ruffle to hers. My nephew had never dressed up for any Romeria before 2012, but that year I made him the traditional pants and the suspenders. Those pants are usually tight, high wasted and grey/black/brown or both in stripes (like his). I didn't make him the vest and jacket that are also typical for the male. I might have to make new outfits for my daughter and nephew again this year, niece is always the lucky one to have one already I might/or not make my daughter a copycat from my niece's, which is actually that first flamenco dress I ever wore.

Here's a photo of the original flamenco dresses, but there are oh-so-many variations already!!!